Child&#39;s shoe



, Aug. 13, 1968 M, SHERMAN 3,396,480

CHILDS SHOE 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 24, 1967 INVENTOR /VO/f/n Sherman Aug. 13, 1968 M. SHERMAN 3,396,480

GHILD'S SHOE 5 SheetS-Shee 2 Filed April 24, 1967 INVENTOR Waff/'n Sherman Aug- 13, 1968 v M. SHERMAN 3,396,480 l CHILD S SHOE Filed April 24, 1967 .'5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Morfn Sherman United States Patent O 3,396,480 CHILDS SHOE Martin Sherman, 35 Claver Place, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11238 Filed Apr. 24. 1967, Ser. No. 632,958 1 Claim. (Cl. 36-2.5)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A childs shoe construction which when worn gives the illusion of an open top automobile, of the roadster or sports type. The shoe has an outer sole, and an inner sole, a toe portion and a heel portion. The upper is formed of a single piece of soft material such as leather, plastic or the like and is shaped in simulation of the body of an open top automobile or the roadster type. The toe portion is broad and stands out giving the illusion of a headlight and grill assembly, The outer sole is formed of thin leather or vinyl and the inner sole of felt material. The outer surface of the upper and toe portion may be decorated with designs simulating automobile parts. The tongue of the shoe is positioned outside of the upper and simulates in shape a windshield of an automobile.

The shoes for children just as for adults now in use are generally dull in appearance and tapered in the toe areas thereby causing the toes to become abnormally compressed. Pressure from such tapered toe portions in the shoes and from the restrictions to the feet caused thereby are very undesirable and tend to injure and deform the wearers feet.

Toes are essential weight bearing parts of the foot and commonly and properly when required spread outwardly during walking and standing. If the toes when required are not permitted to spread in the natural manner when walking and standing, poor posture and strains to the body result. Inadequate breadth in the forward part of the shoe at the toe portion causes the toes of the foot to squeeze together toward the center line running through the middle of the foot. Such toe distortions are unfortunately common for the most part and become permanent in children due to their soft and cartilagenous bones. Such squeezing of the toes eventually affects posture. As for example, when toes are compressed and the person thus has a narrower forward base on which to stand, he has a tendency to seek compensation for decreased breadth through the toes by turning the feet inwardly or outwardly, thus producing either the fallen arch or pigeon toed attitudes. Such unnatural foot postures eventually adversely influences the entire stature.

Moreover, the entire intrinsic musculature of the foot has to do with movement lof the toes. If the toes are not permitted to move freely, the muscles in the feet become weakened. Since these foot muscles also serve to bind down the 26 foot boues and the joints between the bones, weakness and distortion of the toes result from such shoes and this also has a harmful inluence on the entire foot, adversely affecting the mechanism of the entire body. It is thus essential that toes have facility to spread at will if they are to remain functionally strong. The plexus of foot muscles that spread toes also help bind down the joints of the foot. Thus it is clear that shoes presently in use, because of their shape and insuicient flexibility of the toe fabric, inhibit toe spreading which causes poor feet, poor posture and body instability.

It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide a shoe for children with a broad toe portion to permit the toes to spread naturally.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe for children shaped to imitate a roadster type automobile.

3,396,480 Patented Aug. 13, 1968 "ice A speciic object of the invention is to provide a childs shoe with a tongue in simulation of the windshield of an automobile.

Still another yobject of the invention is to provide a shoe for children that is eye-pleasing and attractive in appearance, comfortable to Wear and economical to manufacture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS 0F THE DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a top perspective view of a childs shoe embodying one form of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line 2-2 of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a spread perspective view of the blanks from which the parts of the shoe are formed.

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a childs shoe embodying a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a similar view of the shoe of FIG. 5 turned around.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line 7 7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a spread top plan view of the blank from which the upper of FIG. 5 is formed.

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of a childs shoe embodying another. modified form of lthe invention.

FIG. l0 is a spread perspective view of the blank from which the upper of the shoe of FIG. 9 is made.

FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of the upper end sole -assembly thereof, parts being shown broken away.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now in detail to the various views of the drawings, in FIG. l a childs shoe made in accordance with one form of the present invention is shown and designated generally at 10. The shoe 10 is formed of soft leather or vinyl fabric material and comprises an upper 12, a toe portion 14, a heel portion 16 and a sole assembly 18. The toe portion 14 is broad and projects outwardly or forwardly of the upper portion 12.

The upper 12 of the shoe is formed from the preshaped blank shown in FIG. 4. The blank has a substantially rectangular body 24 formed of two-ply material, an outer thin layer 26 of smooth leather or vinyl and an inner layer or lining 28 of felt, in superposed relation, and secured to each other by adhesive 29. The ends 30 of the body are reduced in width and have square corners. Substantially V-shaped notches 32 are formed in one long edge of the body, the top edge 34 as viewed in FIG. 4 at the junctures of the body and ends.

In forming the upper 12, the body 24 of the blank is folded valong its center transverse line as indicated at 36 to form the sides 38 of the shoe, and the ends 30 are turned laterally adjacent the top edges thereof on a line detining the plane of the inner end of notches 32 to form the sectioned front top portion 40 of the upper. The adjacent edges of the turned over sections are curved inwardly as indicated at 42 and secured together by a line of 'stitching 44, as best seen in FIG. 2. Fabric edging 46 finishes ot the top edge of the upper of the shoe and a row of stitches 48 secures the edging in place.

The sole assembly 18 comprises an outer sole S0 of soft thin leather, plastic or the like, an inner sole `52 of felt material and an intermediate cushioned form lining S4 between the outer and inner soles. The sole assembly 50 is fastened to the bottom curved edge 56 by stitching 58 passing through `the sole assembly and upturned edges of the upper, along the sides and heel portion of the shoe.

The toe portion 14 is formed of the same material as the upper 12 from the rectangular shaped blank shown in FIG. 4. The upper end edge of the toe portion is curved and secured to the adjacent curved outer edge of the top portion 40 of the upper and to the front side portions of the upper by a row of stitching 60. The toe portion is curved at its bottom end edge and secured to the front curved end edge of the sole assembly 18 by a row of -stitching 62.

An important feature of the present invention is the tongue of the shoe indicated generally at 64. Instead of being positioned inside the upper 12 of the shoe, the tongue 64 is positioned on the outside and consists of a substantially rectangular frame 66 of the same material as the upper 12. The base 68 of the frame is secured to the top of the top portion 40 at the base of the notches 32 by a line of stitching 70. A sheet of transparent glassine 72 is positioned behind the frame over the opening 74 therein and is secured in place -against the frame by a row of stitching 76 around the opening. The frame 66 extends upwardly to -a point slightly above the edging 46 on the top end of the upper 12. The frame `66 simulates the windshield of an automobile.

Designs are imprinted on the outer surface of the toe portion 1'4 in simulation of a headlight assembly 80, and of a grille 81, and designs are preferably imprinted on the surface of the upper at the lower end thereof adjacent the front and rear of the sides simulating road wheels 82.

In FIGS. 5 to 8, inclusive, a childs shoe 10 embodying a modified form of the invention is shown. Shoe differs from shoe 1() in that the heel portion 16 is slit as indicated at 84 with the slit edges curled and secured together by a line of stitching 88. A thin strip of fabric tape 90 projec-ts the heel of the wearer from the edges 86, 86. The upper 1-2 is formed from the blank shown in FIG.V 8.

-In FIGS. 9 to 1l, inclusive, another modified form of childs shoe 10" is shown. Shoe 10 differs from the shoe 10 of FIG. 1 in that the upper 12" and toe portion 14" are formed of one piece of material from the blank shown in FIG. 10. A transverse line 92 defines the top end of the toe portion 14" which line intersects the meeting edges of the sections of the top portion It should be understood that the shoes manufactured by these methods can portray different designs and identified by the child as such things as the school bus, hook and ladder, railroad engine, circus truck, U.S. mail, police car and like vehicles. These vehicles can be identiiied on the shoe itself by legends of this type. v

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and that various changes and modilications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim: Y

1. A childs shoe in simulation of an automobile of the roadster type, said shoe including a sectioned upper, a toe portion, a heel portion and a sole assembly, and a tongue construction on the exterior of the upper in simulation of a windshield of an automobile, the toe portion being formed integrally with the upper, said upper having a transverse line at the top of the toe portion, intersecting one end of the meeting edges of the sections of the upper, the heel portion being slit from top to bottom, a row of stitching securing the slit edges and a leather strip covering the slit and stitching, said strip being secured to the upper by a row of stitching.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,415,004 1/ 1947 Feldhake 36-25 3,110,117 11/1963 Ruebel 36-2.5

3,187,703 6/ 1965 lFake 36-11 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,036,087 9/1953l France.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

